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Our first day back on the trail from Harpers Ferry on 7/9 was a long one: 17.2 miles to the Dahlgren Backpacker Campsite. All things considered, the day went pretty well. Angel and Bullfrog, the early risers of the group, headed out 30-45 minutes ahead of Gavin and me, but we all knew that we’d catch each other before too long.

We got back on the trail just below the hotel and walked back toward the town center. Along the way we passed by several landmarks. First was the Jefferson Rock. This spectacle is a large, flat piece of shale rock that is balanced on others, just above where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers merge together. It is named for Thomas Jefferson who wrote about the view in Notes on the State of Virginia. Oddly, the rock is in now what is the northeastern corner of West Virginia.

The second site we passed coming through town is St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, dating to 1896. From the outside, it is a gorgeous building. I would have liked to have visited the inside, but they weren’t open. Also interesting would have been taking one of the tours offered on Saturdays and Sundays. As we commenced down the trail we entered the historic part of Harpers Ferry. Here is the reconstructed “fort” in which John Brown barricaded himself and others in 1859. Brown was an abolitionist who planned to capture the armory and outfit an army of like-minded people to begin a war against slavery. It is interesting to know that the original building has been moved around several times, once traveling to the World’s Fair; it has now been reconstructed near its original location.

The final sight in Harpers Ferry is the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. From this point of the town, the trail crosses a rail bridge into Maryland (our sixth state.) For almost four miles, the trail continues along the towpath of the C & O Canal. Gavin had a fun time trying to pick out turtles in the algae-covered water of the canal. I must say that the walk down this path was great. It was tree-covered, and as flat as anything we have or will traverse.

After leaving the canal and crossing the CSX railway, we began a 1,000’ climb which put us on a mostly flat section of trail once again. We stopped at the Dahlgren Backpacker Campground. This is a backpacker-only camping area with a bathhouse, toilets, and water. The guidebook warned hikers to note the proximity to the roadway, but we used this to our advantage. There is a local pizza place that delivers, so we had a great meal as well as a good night’s sleep.

Wednesday’s hike of 13.9 miles ended at the Ensign Cowall Shelter. It was another peaceful day of hiking, until the end. More about that later. Our first stop of the day was the Washington Monument. Not the one you’re thinking of in Washington, D.C. The one we passed was built in 1827 near Boonesboro, MD. Rather than being an obelisk, this one is a circular tower with a viewing platform on top. We arrived there and found Pringles and Broccoli Rob. We also found the monument closed, but a few minutes later, a ranger from the state park came to raise the flag and open the gate to the stairway. The view of the valley below was phenomenal.

The other sights of the day were views at Annapolis Rocks and, a few miles later, Black Rock Cliffs. I have to say that overlooks and views have been at a premium lately, so we took full advantage of Annapolis Rocks as a great location to have a healthy snack.

I mentioned above that the walk on Wednesday was quite pleasant, until the end. There was not much elevation gain or loss to the day, and even the last few miles were reasonably flat on the map. What the map doesn’t show is rocks. Tons of rocks. For about a mile, we were walking on what I described on video as, “one of the rockiest sections that we’ve had. And there’s just almost nowhere to put a foot that you don’t step on something sharp.” To top it off, just as I left the rocky area I stopped briefly to rest on my poles and catch my breath. As I was standing there, I looked up and noticed a fairly large copperhead coiled up in the grass just beside the trail. I suppose it was a good thing I didn’t have to go to the bathroom, because copperheads certainly qualify as “nature’s laxative.” Thankfully, the rest of the way to the shelter was uneventful.

I arrived at the shelter a few minutes ahead of Gavin and about an hour before Angel and Bullfrog. I was absolutely beat, and I really couldn’t figure out why. In talking with the others, I discovered that we were each dealing with fatigue and aches and pains. Bullfrog and Angel were nursing sore knees, and I had a dime-sized blister on the bottom of one of my toes (my first blister, thankfully.) We had calculated that we needed to hike 16 miles each day in order to get to Katahdin by early October and still be able to enjoy a zero day once a week. In the discussion of tiredness, we all decided that we needed to push ourselves to do as much as we can, but not to overdo it. We each agreed that the hike needed to be fun, not work, and that if we needed to take a bit of extra time or flip-flop to Katahdin and hike southward, then we’d just have to do it. There is no sense in getting ourselves burned out by doing too many miles in a day.

On Thursday we had planned to make it to the Deer Lick Shelters, about 14.5 miles away. There were some ups and downs on the map, but for the most part, it looked like a fairly “doable” day. That was until we got to the rock scramble past Raven Rock Shelter. This was without question one of the most difficult sections of trail that we have walked yet. In a mile or so, we went up, and then down a section that was nothing but rocks and boulders. The trip down was especially difficult, stepping down and over and across rocks of a variety of sizes. We were careful of the flat, slanted rocks for fear that our feet would slip out from under us. I’m pleased to say that we all made it safely, though Angel did slip once and lost a nail in the process. I’m told that she also got a pretty huge bruise on the section of her anatomy on which she landed. I’ll take her word for it.

We reached the Pen Mar Park about 3:00 in the afternoon, just ahead of a significant storm. We and several other hikers gathered under one of the park’s shelters to evaluate the rest of our day. I was not alone in our group in considering myself done for the day after the rocks we had just navigated. A decision was made and a phone call placed to get a ride into Waynesboro, PA for the evening. A local taxi in a minivan picked us up and delivered us to the Days Inn. I was most happy to be in out of the rain and to have a warm shower. When I stepped out, Gavin called my attention to his hip bones. Apparently he has lost enough weight that the hip belt of his pack no longer rests above his hips as it should, but instead it has slid down and rubbed both his hip bones raw. In the process, the weight of the pack is transferred to the shoulders which is a terrifically uncomfortable hiking situation. I Googled a bit and found that there was an Enterprise rental agency a few miles away and over supper we decided to take a zero.

Now an experienced “car renter,” I knew that Enterprise would come pick you up and drive you to the office to complete the paperwork. This saved a fairly expensive Lyft ride and I wished that I had known this fact back in Harpers Ferry. We checked out of the Days Inn and headed for Fredrick, MD to visit an outfitter. Praise be, they had an Osprey Ace youth pack that fit Gavin well. We picked up a few other needed items and headed to the cash register. I had noticed that there was a “Free Gift” tag on the pack but forgot about it until the cashier called it to my attention. We could choose between a handsome trucker’s hat or an Osprey 3L Hydration System for the pack (a $45 value.) That was a no-brainer. They were also able to swap out my Smart Wool socks that had developed a hole in one toe. The big three hiking sock makers really stand by their products and will replace holey merchandise. I was pretty stoked by this because the outfitter in Front Royal said that Smart Wool wouldn’t do replacements.

After getting our gear, we set out to find a music store so Gavin could play the drums a few minutes. It was only a few miles down the road, and Bullfrog’s cousin Tiffany was en route to have lunch with us, so we had some time to kill. While he played on the drums, I went into the acoustic room and played a $3,800 Martin guitar until I saw the “Please don’t touch” sign. Considering the sign and the price tag, I cut my song short.

Lunch was at Pretzel and Pizza Creations in the heart of the historic part of town. Tiffany and her daughters met us, and we enjoyed meeting them and having a great lunch. I had a hot dog wrapped in a pretzel bun with cheese and bacon which was fantastic. After lunch, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the car. In order to get a ride back to the hotel after turning it in, they wanted me back by 4:30 or so.

As we approached our car, parallel parked up the street from the restaurant, we noticed a couple of ladies standing nearby, and they appeared to be taking pictures of the car. Drawing nearer, it was evident that they were taking photos of the damage done to our rental car when they were trying to park. To put it mildly, I was less than ecstatic about the situation, but they were nice about it. I called the rental company and they said it would be no problem for me as long as I brought in a police report. The police officer who responded was quite nice, and after a while we were finally on our way back to Waynesboro.

This whole incident took a dent out of our afternoon (no pun intended.) We arrived at our new hotel, the Cobblestone Inn & Suites, situated just behind a Walmart Supercenter and nearby an Applebee’s. Upon arrival, I rushed in to secure a room while Angel helped Gavin transition from his old pack to his new one. I thought I had noticed a UPS store on the way from Waynesboro back to the Enterprise agency in the next town, so I had hoped to ship his pack home from there on the way to turning in the car. I called Enterprise to be sure they could still bring me back, and they asked when I was leaving. I said immediately, but it sounded like I wouldn’t have the time to stop and ship the pack. The ladies at the desk of the hotel were incredibly helpful. They told us there was a post office within walking distance and offered to try to find us a box  They even volunteered to take the pack to the post office the next day if we weren’t able to get it beforehand. I quickly dropped my gear in the hotel room and headed to turn the car in.

When I got back from dealing with the car, Angel, Bullfrog, and I walked over to Applebee’s for supper. On the way I lamented that I really didn’t feel rested at all, what with having to drive an hour or so to find an outfitter and dealing with the bump up with the car. We decided to take one more day in Waynesboro, completely as a rest day. I was elated! Having one more day off also allowed everyone’s aches and pains to heal up somewhat.

Saturday was, indeed, a day of rest. I set my clock for a time just late enough to enjoy the free breakfast at the hotel. After eating, I packed the box that the desk clerk found for me and set out for the post office. It really wasn’t much of a walk, and I got Gavin’s pack and a few other items shipped home. The rest of the day was fairly restful. We made a stop at the Walmart to pick up a few resupply items. Gavin swam a couple of times and I chatted with folks at the pool. Bullfrog and I walked back to Applebee’s for another meal.

This was the first time in a while that he and I have had the time to sit down and make plans for the next several days together. He noticed that there was a hostel in Fayetteville, PA. We also found a shuttle driver who was willing to drop us back at Pen Mar State Park and take our packs on to the hostel. Great plan! Slackpacking. I cannot describe how excited I was to know we weren’t going to have to carry our packs the next day.

When Sunday came, our shuttle driver arrived on schedule. He dropped us off at the park and we set out on an 18.2 mile walk to the Trail of Hope Hostel. It turns out that the gentleman who shuttled us used to own the hostel, but it was turned over to the church next door fairly recently. He was quite interesting to talk with because he knows the AT in the area like the back of his hand. He had plenty of suggestions for us about how we could slackpack for the next several days in the area. He also was able to tell us about things to watch out for (i.e. rocky areas.)

The Pen Mar State Park is only a few tenths of a mile from the MD/PA state line, AKA, the Mason-Dixon Line. This boundary was surveyed in the 1760’s in order to settle a border dispute between the two states. I’m afraid that today it marks the territory between sweet iced tea and what are you talking about? I must admit that I’m a bit sad to be on the wrong side of the line now. A few days ago someone actually brought me a glass of iced tea and some packets of sugar. Anyone from the south knows that the tea has to be warm to dissolve the sugar, and then you put ice in it. Bless.

One of the highlights of the trail today was Tumbling Run Shelters. These are two smaller shelters, built side by side, that are connected by a covered eating/cooking area. We were fortunate to meet the couple that takes care of these shelters. We have passed few shelters that are “cared for” on a regular basis. The first thing that struck me when walking up to the cooking area was the flower in a vase on the picnic table. While we were there, the gentleman of the couple went down to wash down and spruce up the privy. I’m not sure we’ve passed a shelter yet that has been cleaned in this fashion any time in the past several months or so. We were sure to tell the folks thanks for all the work they do in caring for the area and the trail nearby. Without folks volunteering their time to keep the trail passable, it would cease to exist.

The view for the day was most certainly the one from Chimney Rocks. When we reached the side trail that leads out to the view we passed a fairly large group of young people. I asked if it was a Scout group, but it turned out to be a group of kids about Gavin’s age doing an Outward Bound trip. I’m not sure if he met them on trail or not, but that might be an interesting trip for him to take sometime.

Our hike on Sunday was a fairly easy one, especially since we were slackpacking, but about two miles from the end of the trip we hit a gigantic boulder field. Though it lasted only a short while, rock-hopping was not the way we wanted to end our day. I will also remark that Gavin had an especially good day of hiking. We stopped at three or four shelters or views, and at each, he was waiting for us. Whenever we hiked on, he got out front and easily put a mile or more between us before we reached the next “stopping point.” It is truly a blessing that he is such a strong hiker, and I am especially proud of him.

When we reached US 30, the end of our walk for the day, Gavin was waiting. We knew it was about 0.8 miles down a busy road to the hostel, and none of us really wanted to walk it. It turns out there was a truck parked at the road crossing and its owner was picking wine berries just feet away. While we were struggling to come up with a shuttle driver that would pick us up and drive us less than a mile, I walked over and asked the gentleman if he’d mind to run us down the road when he finished picking. He eagerly agreed, so we waited about five more minutes and hopped in the back of his truck.

The Trail of Hope hostel is a ministry of the church that is right beside it. It is in an old house that the shuttle driver told us could be traced back to the Underground Railroad. After getting our gear settled in, we set about finding food. Apple Maps showed us a hamburger restaurant with ice cream about 0.5 miles back up the road, so Angel, Bullfrog, and I set out on foot. When we reached our destination, to our surprise, the sign said, “Coming Soon!” Dejected and tired, we walked back to the hostel to implement Plan B. The caretaker of the hostel gave us the keys to the van outside and said we could go as far as Walmart for $5 each. We were good with that, and we needed a few grocery items as well, so we took off. We did our shopping and settled on a Chinese Restaurant in the same strip mall. It was good, but it wasn’t the buffet we’d hoped for.

On the way back, Gavin called and reported that he thought he’d left his charging brick and phone cable at the road crossing. I told him that it was likely gone by now and that he’d just have to earn some money and purchase a new one. When we got back to the hostel, though, he had been in touch with another hiker, High Pockets, who tracked Gavin down at the hostel. High Pockets had the charger and was willing to meet us the next morning. I texted him that we would be hiking south the next day and we could handle the exchange without a separate trip. The trail provides!

On Monday, our shuttle driver from the day before (I wish I could remember his name) picked us up and drove us to the trail crossing at Shippensburg Rd. We hopped out and began our 11.3 mile SOBO slackpack back to Trail of Hope hostel. The trail was mostly flat nearly all the day and the weather was good. One of the things I enjoy about hiking south is meeting other hikers. I must say that it hurts my feelings just a bit that they may think we’re day-hikers instead of thru-hikers, but once we start talking, they figure it out.

One of the hikers we met Monday was Pringles. If you haven’t seen Gavin’s interview of her, it is worth your time. In the menu above, follow the link to our YouTube channel and it should be close to the top. We met Pringles on a shuttle ride in Hiawassee, GA pretty early on and we’ve bumped into her several times since. She and Gavin have become good friends, and each has been an inspiration to the other. After hearing of Bullfrog’s knee pain, she offered him one of her braces which he gratefully accepted. I find it especially awesome that the folks out here are all about helping each other out. The AT is a common bond that draws hikers together. On more than a few occasions we have had strangers sit down and eat and talk with us because of this bond we share.

Speaking of Gavin, I’m not sure we saw him much at all on Monday. He set out in front of us, and to the best of my memory, we didn’t see him until Caledonia State Park, right at the end of the journey today. It may sound negligent on my part to allow him to be separated from me by such a distance and for such a time, but he is smart and he is equipped. Moreover, the whole time we’ve been out here, I have only met one hiker that I would be the least bit nervous about Gavin hiking with. As I mentioned above, most all the rest would go out of their way to help him if he needed it. He has GPS-enabled app called Guthooks that shows him whether he is on the trail or not, and he knows what to do if he meets up with wildlife or gets off the trail by accident. I must say that I am put somewhat at ease that he is now hiking in front rather than behind. That way, if he has an accident or other need, we will be along shortly and we don’t have to rely on having cell service to be in touch with one another.

We met several hikers that we passed or were passed by the previous day. As we stopped and talked, we learned that reuniting Gavin with his phone charger was a group effort. The hiker who found the brick, High Pockets, took it on to Caledonia State Park and asked around of the other hikers if they had lost it. One of them remembered having seen Gavin with it at the road crossing and two others we had talked to knew that we had planned to stay at the hostel that night. Putting together the pieces from three or four different hikers is what enabled High Pockets to find Gavin. They met on the trail during the day and Gavin got his charger back. I’m confident that he expressed great thanks to High Pockets and that if faced with the same situation, he’d go out of his way to be as helpful to another hiker.

Just before the end of our hike today we passed by the Quarry Gap Shelter. This one is without question the nicest and most cared for shelter on the whole trail. There are flowers all around, the shelter has a fresh coat of paint, there are benches and swings, and even little “yard art” features that hardly any other shelters have. It would have been a nice place to stay, but indoors with AC beats any shelter or tent pad, hands down, so we traveled on.

Just a couple of tenths of a mile short of the road that would lead us back to the hostel we entered Caledonia State Park. They have a nice creek to play in, campsites, and a pool. For a brief while we entertained the notion of swimming, but we decided against it and hiked on in. We were able to “borrow” the van again and had supper at a nice Mexican restaurant a few miles away.

On Tuesday we shuttled again to Shippensburg Rd., this time slackpacking north. The driver dropped our packs at our destination, the Pine Grove Furnace St. Park, 8.5 trail miles ahead. There were several milestones and some really cool things to see on this section.

First, we passed the 2019 AT Midpoint on the trail about 0.4 miles in. It is hard to believe that we have less distance to cover than we have already walked. The second milestone was passing the 1,100 mile mark. I think this marker gave me an even larger sense of accomplishment. It is really difficult to fathom that since February 24, we have walked 1,100 miles.

About half a mile farther along we stopped at Tom’s Run Shelter. We were joined there by a guy named Shepherd who seemed to know Angel and Bullfrog. After a minute it clicked that he was a pastor/missionary they had met in the Shenandoah National Park. They knew he was planning to be at Pine Grove Furnace but weren’t expecting to meet him on the trail. After proper introductions, we hiked the last several miles to the state park together. We had an enjoyable conversation, and he invited us to come have supper with him and his family in the campground that evening.

Once we reached the park, Shepherd veered off to join his family, and the rest of us headed on to the General Store that is home to the half-gallon challenge. Essentially, upon completing half of the trail, hikers try to eat a half-gallon of ice cream in the fastest time possible. We got there just a few minutes late to see a new record of 2:54 being set by Squirrel, whom we had met in Harpers Ferry and again at Trail of Hope hostel. Gavin and I purchased our ice cream, but neither of us tried at all to break any records. My time was 50:52, and I was okay with that. Gavin didn’t finish, and he was okay with that too.

After securing our campsite for the night, the four of us visited the ATC Museum which is in an old house at the state park. They had tons of memorabilia, including a shelter built by Earl Shaffer, the man who hatched the idea of a long-distance trail through the Appalachian Mountains. Perhaps most interesting was the handmade duffel bag and the pair of Keds used by Grandma Emma Gatewood on one of her three thru-hikes of the Appalachian trail, the first of which was in 1955 when she was 67 years old.

After touring the museum, we hiked about a mile down the road to our campsite. Just after setting up our tents, it began to rain. Gavin and I took refuge in our tents, and I had a good 45-60 minute nap, which was much appreciated. After that, we walked up to meet Shepherd, his wife, No Miles, and his kids Berries (9) and Footloose (13). They had a fire going and used the coals to bake potatoes and roast corn, On top of that, we had hotdogs. It was a marvelous meal, one that Gavin considers to be among the best he’s had on the trail.

I know I am a bit behind in posting blog entries, and we appreciate your patience. Thanks for checking in. Gavin and I hope you will continue to be prayerful for us as we continue our journey north. Each morning before hiking, Gavin, Angel, and Bullfrog and I say a prayer for the day. Usually it is an appeal for safe hiking and for blessings upon us and our families, but we also pray to inspire and be inspired by others. We hope you are inspired by our writings here and encourage you to just keep taking the Next Step.

Thanks for checking in. This installment of the blog covers trail dates 6/26 through 7/8. I wrote most of this while we were resting/vacationing/waiting in Harpers Ferry, WV. If you have been following along, you know that Angel had to go back south for a while for some appointments and to do the AT through the Smokies. Gavin and I waited on her and Bullfrog to rejoin us in Harpers Ferry for about a week. I am pleased to say that we are now back together as a trail family and we’re working our way through Pennsylvania. I hope to add the entry that bridges the gap between Harpers Ferry and where we are now in the next few days.

At 9:00 Wednesday morning we were picked up and dropped back at the trail. Gavin and I started hiking with Riddler (Jar Head decided to take a day off), but it was soon evident that he was going to be much faster than either of us, so we bid him farewell. Like most of the SNP, the trail to Gravel Springs Hut was not bad in the way of climbs. It was also much drier than was our trip down the mountain two days previous. There were still some muddy sections of the trail which were easily bypassed, but they did serve as a soft medium for animal tracks. For quite a way, I followed where a deer had walked along the trail that morning. I also came upon a giant bear paw print. It turns out that most everyone in the shelter that night had a photo of that one. I’m glad that we didn’t get surprised by whatever bear left the footprint!

In the afternoon, we passed by the Elkwallow Wayside, the last one in the SNP. We met back up with Tugs and Tank Top, and met several other hikers we’d be seeing for the next several nights. We also were reunited with Snickers, whom we met at Boots Off Hostel and saw last at Angel’s Rest. It turns out that he had to spend about three weeks off the trail being treated for Lyme disease. I’m sorry that he had been sick, but it was great to see him again. For lunch, we had burgers and milkshakes. Apparently the Waysides are supposed to be famous for their blackberry milkshakes, so I had to try one. I’d rate it as “okay,” but not worth $0.50 more than a chocolate or strawberry shake. The burger, on the other hand, was excellent, and the price wasn’t completely unreasonable. After loading my pack with a couple of cold drinks for later, we set off for Gravel Springs Hut.

Most of the folks we saw at the wayside also stopped at the Gravel Springs Hut, as did Pruney whom we met a week or two ago. It is always fun to camp with folks you know. I think it is wonderful how easily friendships are formed on the trail. Only a few of the hikers stayed in the shelter; most elected to tent. Gavin and I were alone in the shelter except for one other section hiker. With limited snoring, we drifted off to sleep quickly and stayed that way until my alarm went off the next morning.

Many of our friends left out of the shelter before us Thursday morning, so Gavin and I headed out on our own. We had planned to hike 13.4 miles with a stop in Front Royal, VA. The trail went generally downhill nearly the whole way, with only a few small climbs here and there. It was a peaceful hike. Before long, Gavin and I passed a new hiker whom we had not met. She would pass us later on in the day and we’d learn that her name is Ghost. She’s an 18-yr-old student who is hiking the trail by herself. We also passed Tank Top, Tugs, and their dog Raisin, as well as Three, all folks we had stayed with in the shelter area the night before.

Around late morning Gavin, and I stopped at a stream to replenish our water supply. While we were there, Ghost paused to do the same. Gavin wound up hiking on ahead once his water bottles were topped off. I hiked away from the water source with Ghost, and we had a very interesting conversation. She is a rising sophomore at Florida Institute of Technology and plans to attend medical school after graduation. She told me about some of the research she is doing as part of her schoolwork, and it is truly remarkable. I was quite impressed that someone her age is already involved in meaningful research that will make a difference to many people in the future.

Today was the day we needed to complete our hike before 2:20 to catch the trolley into town. Gavin pulled off at the Tom Floyd Shelter, and as I passed, I encouraged him to come on, but that I was going to continue hiking with Ghost. She and I made it to the road crossing around 1:50. After a few nervous moments of waiting, I called Gavin to find out where he was- still over a mile back. I told him he really needed to hurry so that he wouldn’t be late. I knew that he could cover the downhill trek to the road crossing in 20 minutes, and he did. Barely. Pruney hiked up around 2:15 and said she’d passed Gavin a ways back. The trolley arrived just on time, and as I was negotiating with the driver to wait a couple of minutes, Gavin rolled out of the woods. For $0.50 each, we had a nice ride into town.

Front Royal was a beautiful town. One of the first things that struck me was the gazebo on the town green. It was adjacent to the visitor’s center. Adorned for the July 4th holiday, it completed the town’s small town look. Our hotel, the Quality Inn, was just a couple of blocks from where we got off the trolley. Next door was a gas station and Dunkin’ Donuts. Score.

After settling into the room, I went down to sit by the pool and ran into Mad Max and Bahama Mama, whom we had met the day before. They weren’t staying at the hotel, but had decided to chill by the pool for the afternoon before moving on that night. Pruney came down, and the four of us together hatched a plan for dinner.

Each of the three of them had a hankering for Thai food, cuisine I have never before tried. I was willing to join them as long as they’d help me order something I could/would eat. Gavin was not, so he chilled back in the room. I have no memory of what I ate, but it involved beef, peppers, onions, and rice, and it was pretty tasty. It certainly wasn’t the ribeye and baked potato I had dreamed about, but it was good nonetheless.

After supper, I walked back to the motel to see about getting Gavin something to eat. On the way into town, the trolley driver recommended a pizza place for their pizza and wings, so I called for takeout. They said there was a wait of 1:45, so we decided to just walk there. It was only 0.5 miles or so. Just after placing our take-out order, the rains began. It wasn’t a torrential downpour, but it was enough to make me question why we hadn’t brought raincoats with us. Thankfully, by the time Gavin’s order was ready the rain had slackened off enough that we didn’t get drenched going back to the hotel.

On Friday, we had planned to take the 9:00 shuttle back to the trail, but instead, we decided to wait until 2:00 so we could have a leisurely morning and spend some time looking around the town. There is a local brewery in town that is friendly to hikers, offering showers, laundry, restrooms, and places to store your gear while you’re in town. All for free. After stashing our packs, we went into several shops uptown including the local outfitter. They didn’t have anything we really needed, but it is always fun to look. We also went into a Civil War Museum for a short visit. On the way back to the visitor’s center, we passed by the Virginia Beer Museum, but unfortunately, it wasn’t open yet.

Having seen all the sights and eaten lunch, we picked up our packs and headed back to the visitor’s center for the 2:00 trolley back to the trail. It dropped us just at 2:20, and no more than a few steps into the woods, it started raining a bit. It wasn’t a heavy rain, but it was enough to make me stop and pull on my pack cover. Our destination was the Jim & Molly Denton Shelter, only 5.2 miles up the trail. We made it there a couple of hours later and were amazed at what we found. This shelter area is among the nicest on the trail. The shelter has a front poach with seating. A few feet away there is a cooking pavilion with picnic tables so that folks don’t get crowded around the front of the shelter. It is also a good idea not to cook in the shelters because the food odors can draw critters. On the manicured lawn outside was a horseshoe pit and just down in the woods there is a solar shower. I wasn’t convinced the sun would heat enough water to be warm enough for me to bathe, so I passed on that luxury.

An hour or two after we arrived, a thunderstorm of magnanimous proportions set in. It was one of those “flash-bang” storms that also included marble-sized hail. In the middle of the downpour, Tank Top, Tugs, Three, and Raisin straggled in to the area soaked to the core. They ran under the picnic shelter to dry off and wait for the storm to pass. The rain eventually ran its course, and I was grateful to have been able to enjoy it from inside the shelter rather than outside on the trail.

On Saturday we set out with Pruney heading for Whiskey Hollow Shelter. We knew that we’d be held up in Harpers Ferry for the better part of a week, so we didn’t try to push big miles. Our trip to the shelter was only 10 miles, but Pruney left us at midday as she had planned to do an 18-mile day.

Along the way we stopped for lunch at the Manassas Gap shelter. I was nervous about stopping or staying there because Bullfrog had posted photos of three snakes he and Angel saw there. Two of the snakes were copperheads, and I don’t want to have anything to do with those. When we arrived, a hiker who had been named Mom by her former trail family was there, and shortly after, Cookie and Tree Beard arrived. We all chatted, ate, and filled our water, and we were on our way. We only had 4.5 miles to go to reach our destination for the day, so I let Gavin hang behind a few minutes after I hiked on. I trust him has a hiker, and I knew that there were plenty of people we knew behind him, so I was fine letting him hike at his own pace.

I arrived at Whiskey Hollow Shelter about 20 minutes before Gavin and had the place to myself. I changed out of my sweat soaked clothes and hung them on a line to dry. I then pulled out my sleeping pad so that I could take an afternoon nap. This shelter was built in 2016, and it is probably the newest and cleanest one we’ve stayed in. There were two sleeping levels, and the upstairs one was accessed by a nice staircase. It even had a railing to keep hikers from falling out during the night. All the interior wood was stained and varnished. They may have even used birch plywood for the floors. After a while, many of the folks we had been hiking around for the past few days arrived. Almost everyone there that night tented. There was only one other gentleman in the 20-person shelter with us. It was a very peaceful night.

We set our alarms extra early for Sunday because we had planned to do 18.3 miles to the Bear’s Den Hostel. About halfway through the hike we would come to an infamous section of trail called the Roller Coaster. This 13-mile section features tons of short ups and downs and rocks galore. It was a very difficult part of the trail to traverse, but by 5:30, we had arrived at our destination.

The Bear’s Den Hostel is a castle-like structure that was built in 1933 by a medical professor and his opera singer wife. It served as their summer home through the 60’s when the passed away. The home and 66 acres was purchased by the Appalachian Trail Conference in 1984. Since then, it has been used as a hostel and weekend getaway for families and groups. I have to say that staying there felt very much like staying in the Baltimore Estate. It is certainly nowhere as large, but the thick rock walls are very reminiscent of the Asheville structure.

Our original plan for Monday was to hire a shuttle driver to drop our packs in Harpers Ferry and to slackpack the 20 miles to town. Unfortunately, I arrived at the Bear’s Den with my first case of chafing of the trail. Though showering and putting on dry clothing helped substantially, I wasn’t willing to risk making it worse, so we decided to call a shuttle and ride into town. We checked into the Quality Inn on Monday afternoon and spent much of the remainder of the day walking around the historic downtown of Harpers Ferry. We visited the John Brown Wax Museum which told the story of the original abolitionist who sought to lead a slave uprising. There was an outfitter down the street, and we had lunch at a place called Almost Heaven. I guess we’re in West Virginia now. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the ATC headquarters and met several folks we’d hiked with in the previous week.

As I finish writing this, it is Saturday and we’re still in Harpers Ferry waiting to reunite with Angel and Bullfrog. She has completed her trip through the Smokies and should be in town tomorrow morning. We have had a good week here, both resting and vacationing. On Wednesday we visited Gettysburg, a place I’ve always wanted to go to. When I was about Gavin’s age, our Scout troop hiked a historic trail in Washington. To qualify for the trail medallion, I had to read at least one book about Lincoln and the Civil War. The one I chose was by Bruce Catton and was about the Battle of Gettysburg. It was quite interesting to drive through the town and fields where this three-day battle unfolded. It was also exciting to actually be at some of the important points of the battle such as Cemetery Hill and Seminary Ridge. I can remember a neighbor of mine telling me about the battle and that an Alexander Co. regiment lead the way on the famous Picket’s Charge.

Thursday morning we got a shuttle back up to Bear’s Den to complete the 20-mile hike into town. Carrying only water and some snacks, it was a fairly easy walk, except Gavin wasn’t feeling well from early in the day. Around mid-afternoon he began having stomach cramps and we got off the trail about six miles short of our goal. There was a gas station near the trail crossing with a busy road, and we stood around there for nearly two hours with our thumbs stuck out. I was almost at the point of walking the trail on back to town and coming back to pick Gavin up when some day hikers we had met earlier offered us a ride back to the hotel. Glory Be! The kindness of others on the trail never ceases to amaze me.

There were quite a few hikers here at the hotel because it is only a few hundred feet from where the AT comes into town. At the edge of the parking lot is a small “park,” but really it looks like just a patch of grass with a gazebo. At one point in the evening we had twenty hikers and a dog under the gazebo listening to music and talking. Our rendition of Take Me Home Country Roads was something to behold!

On Friday we called a Lyft driver and got a lift (see what I did there) back up to the trail crossing where we left off the day before. In just a few short hours we hiked the remaining six miles into town and stopped again at the ATC Office to have our picture made. Each hiker that comes through town is photographed in front of the ATC. Names, trail names, hometown, direction of travel, and start date are recorded on the photo and it is placed in an album that remains in the office. I think it will be really cool for Gavin to take his children there many years into the future and pull out the 2019 album and show them our picture.

On Saturday we visited the battlefield at Antietam. They have a nice visitor’s center with a 20-30 minute film and a small museum filled with artifacts from the vicinity. I was hoping there would be ranger talks, but they were busy hurrying people through so they could close half the park for a concert and fireworks later in the afternoon. We picked up a map and drove through the park, stopping at a few of the important waypoints along the way. While we were touring Antietam and Gettysburg, I couldn’t help remembering the thousands of men who lost their lives on those battlefields. In the documentaries, they depict lines of men advancing straight into enemy fire. I cannot comprehend how the men who fought in this style had the courage to walk directly into certain death. I am looking forward to watching some videos about the Battle of Gettysburg tonight so I can more thoroughly appreciate what we saw there a few days ago.

Sunday, July 7, was day 134 “on the trail for us.” It was also the day that our trail family would be reunited. Angel got into DC via Amtrak and Bullfrog and his cousin Tiffany picked her up. They all arrived at the Quality Inn around 3:00. It was good to have everyone in one place again. Angel wasn’t able to sleep much on the train, so she really needed to take Monday to rest and rejuvenate. We didn’t do much that was especially exciting on Sunday or Monday other than resupply and eat. I think we were all eager to get back to the trail.

I appreciate you for following our trip. We really are having fun, even though we aren’t as far north as we’d like to be at this point. As I said above, I wrote this more than a week ago and am only now posting it. We are now in Pennsylvania, and I hope to catch up the blog in the next day or two. Please check back soon, or better yet, enter your email address at the right to get notifications when we post future installments. Thanks again, and remember to keep taking the Next Step.

This installment of our story picks up with us in Waynesboro, VA. We’re about to rejoin the trail at Turk Gap where we got off several days ago to tend to Gavin’s sore ankle. Thankfully it was just a sprain, and he seems to be feeling fine.

I woke Wednesday morning fairly early to have hotel breakfast and to double-check our shuttle ride. We had arranged for the Yellow Truck to pick us up at 9:00, but some other hikers were needing a ride a bit earlier in the day. I told them to call him and do their ride first and to have him pick us up whenever, on his way back into town. When he picked them up, he said he’d be back between 9:00-9:30, which was fine. I had my breakfast and went back to the room to pack up.

The Yellow Truck guy came by around 9:30 as promised and we got our ride back to the trail. I never caught his name, but he was pretty cool. It was great to talk with him- he reminds me of what my late brother-in-law would have been like when he turned 70. We got back on trail at Turk Gap where Gavin got off last week and we were off. Unfortunately, we had to turn down the offer of trail magic from some section hikers since we were just coming in from town and breakfast, but it was nice of them to offer.

Our goal for the day was a modest 8.6 miles. Generally, when we are coming out of town, we plan for slightly shorter days because we never know quite when we’ll get our ride back. We had a fairly easy day of hiking- a small bit of uphill at first, but then gently downhill for the rest of the day. One of the interesting events of the day was meeting a park ranger named Dave who was out with a shotgun armed with bean bags and rubber slugs. Apparently there were a couple of bears that have been causing issues on the trail, and he was out to teach them to have a bit more fear of humans. He was very interesting to talk with. It was obvious that neither he nor the park service wanted to do serious damage to the bears, but they want to teach them to respect and live in harmony with humans.

Most of the hike on Wednesday was over well-groomed terrain without much elevation change, either up or down. There were a few rocky sections, but it was a fairly easy hike. We wound up at Blackrock Hut and rested well there for the night.

On Thursday we very quickly arrived at the peak of Blackrock Mtn. (3,104’). Thankfully, the climb up wasn’t difficult, nor was the travel for much of the day. We had really nice views in two directions from the summit, and there were plenty of rocks for Gavin to scramble up. I chose to stay on the trail and not risk breaking my neck for a possible better view.

Along the trip this day was the first of the “waysides” in the Shenandoah National Park. We stopped at the Loft Mtn. Campground camp store and got Gatorade, sodas, and snacks. Gavin treated himself to a milkshake- I figured he could use the extra calories. He also found a miniature pair of binoculars which he purchased so he could hone in on the views we pass by. Truthfully, this was one of the most practical things he has purchased along the journey, and I hope he gets lots of use out of them.

There were 10-15 hikers milling around outside the store having lunch and resting. Among them was Deb Zeppelin, a lady not quite my age that we met weeks ago at Angel’s Rest Hostel in Pearisburg, VA. It was really great to see her again. I find it quite odd that time after time we meet folks along the trail and then bump into them weeks later, hundreds of miles up the trail. She was planning to camp that night and meet her husband, but we hoped we’d see each other in a few days.

On the path out of the camp store back to the trail, we stopped and watched a bunny rabbit hopping around in the brush. I believe this was the first rabbit I’ve seen on the trail, and it was huge. On our way to the shelter, we had quite a few views of the valleys below. Gavin got a chance to test out his binoculars, and he was pleased with his purchase.

When we arrived at the shelter, we were soon joined by BBQ and Double Luck, along with her dog, Dr. Phil. They busied themselves hanging a birthday banner and setting out a small coconut pie and zebra cakes to celebrate Lazy Ranger’s birthday. He arrived soon after and was quite surprised and pleased that they had thought of him. We also met several gentlemen who have done section hikes together for several years. One was a physician at Butner Federal Correctional Institution in NC. Upon hearing me tell the story of my heart attack, he said, “Is Dr. Inman Joel Inman? We went to med school together at ECU.” Small world. I took a photo of him to share when we get home.

The highlight of Friday’s trip included passing the 900-mile marker pretty early in the day. Otherwise, our Friday completely didn’t go as planned. We had originally set out to reach the Bearfence Mtn. Hut, a bit over 20 miles away, but we didn’t make it. At lunch, we pulled into the Hightop Hut, only 8.2 miles from our starting point. After eating, I decided that I just didn’t have 12 more miles left in me, so we agreed to just settle in for the afternoon and stay there. This was the first time I’ve taken an afternoon nap on the trail, and I must say that it was quite nice.

The shelter turned out to be a quite busy place to stay. By late afternoon, there were 5-6 folks in the shelter and another 8-10 in tents around the area. Among them was an Englishman and a French Canadian. We enjoyed talking with them about their trail experiences. I have been astounded at the number of international hikers we have met along the trail.

One of the things I have enjoyed about the trail through the SNP (Shenandoah National Park) is that the trail has had few really big ups or downs. It follows the ridge line and most of the climbs are gentle. The grade of the trail affords the possibility of hiking longer mileage days, but so for, we haven’t availed that opportunity. Today especially. I suppose there is always tomorrow.

One notable occurrence from Friday was that the temperature dipped really low overnight. The cold snap tested the limits of my new 40-degree quilt and I wound up pulling on both my wool shirt and my puffy jacket to sleep in. On the plus side, it is much easier to sleep comfortably when it is cool than when it is warm. I truly despise sweating under my quilt, and there has been plenty of that going on lately.

Out of the gate on Saturday, we reached the peak of Hightop Mtn. at an elevation of 3,531’. It was only a short climb out of the shelter area, and we had incredible views. When we reached the Hightop parking area, we were in for another surprise- Trail Magic! This was a complete setup that included a hand-washing station, chili, drinks from chocolate milk to cold beer, and snack food galore. They even had a hiker box. Our hosts introduced themselves and the younger one is a 2014 hiker named Wiki. This immediately rang a bell. “Whose book are you in?” I said. “Mighty Blue’s?” He confirmed that Steve Adams, AKA Mighty Blue, gave him his trail name. I told him that I had thoroughly enjoyed reading about their adventures on the trail together and that it was great to meet someone “famous” on the trail.

After cresting Hightop Mtn., the only other significant climb of the day was about 500’ to the top of Baldface Mtn. For another day, the trail through the SNP was gentle to us and we were grateful. Though it was late in the day when we arrived at the Bearfence Mtn. Hut, it turned out to be a great place to stay. Almost immediately after setting his pack down, Gavin noticed two deer 15-20 yds. from the shelter beyond the water source. Moments later, a young buck wandered out of the woods even closer. He grazed in the grasses nearby, and I was able to video him for a minute or two. He was completely oblivious to our presence. It is remarkable to me that the wildlife out here is generally unafraid of hikers. Consequently, we’re able to take great close-up photos and enjoy God’s critters in a way one wouldn’t ordinarily be able to do.

On the way out of the shelter today we passed another large bunny that was willing to be photographed and videoed. Like the deer from the night before, the rabbit was mostly unconcerned with us, and Gavin was able to walk within 5-8’ of it before it hopped into the underbrush.

The definitive highlight of the day for Gavin was passing a southbound Pug and his human companion. He took a few minutes to pet and talk to the dog. It was a joy to watch because he has had a few hard days in the past week and it was great to see him gushing over sight of the pug.

Gavin and I also hiked out with a new companion today, Broadway. He is from Lexington, VA and has only recently started his hike for the season, picking up where he left off last year. He intends to go all the way to Maine. He and Gavin have much in common, and they enjoyed each other’s company for the day. There is a saying that “the trail provides.” That has most certainly been the case for us. When Gavin has had low spots along the trail, feeling like he really wants to be home instead of here, it seems like we always run into someone who can help him turn things around and be positive again. Gavin talked with Broadway about dealing with wanting to leave the trail and their conversation was remarkable. The video is linked below.

By mid-morning, I hiked on ahead of Gavin and Broadway and bumped into Early Bird, who stayed with us at the shelter the night before. She met a college friend and the friend’s mother, and the three of them were doing a short part of the trail together. Later in the day, I passed her again after she had said goodbye to her friend and donned her pack. I hiked the rest of the morning by myself, comfortable knowing that Gavin was with or near other hikers we knew. I stopped and waited for the rest of the group at the Big Meadows Wayside, and we went up the side trail together in search of nourishment.

Big Meadows usually has a grill, but we found that part of the building under construction. Instead, we had to settle for frozen fare, hot dogs and pizzas, warmed in the microwave. At least it wasn’t Slim Jims and sunflower seeds. We also had a few drinks, and I purchased a couple to pack out with me. The waysides are a wonderful treat to hikers. I realized today that for all the opportunity to buy food along the trail in the SNP, I was carrying way too much food in my food bag. You’d think that after 900 miles I’d have a better sense of how much food to pack for the number of days I’ll be hiking, but I always seem to have way too much. As a consequence, my pack is much heavier than it needs to be.

While at Big Meadows, Gavin and Broadway were throwing a frisbee back and forth. One of Gavin’s throws was errant and the disk wound up stuck in a walnut tree. It was funny to watch Broadway lift Gavin up to climb through the tree to free up the disk. Unfortunately, the prize was out of Gavn’s reach so Broadway had his turn. He started throwing one of his Crocs at the disk and the shoe got stuck in the branches as well. It was truly comical. Eventually we found a half-full water bottle and tried to free the items with it. That turned out to be a better plan, and a short while later, frisbee, Croc, and Broadway were safely on terra firma again.

Broadway, Early Bird, Gavin, and I left Big Meadows together heading for Rock Spring Hut. Early Bird and I hiked faster and got a ways out front. It was fun having someone new to talk to while hiking. It isn’t that I don’t enjoy Gavin’s company, but when we walk together he usually listens to a podcast and isn’t much of a conversationalist. While I appreciate the solitude of hiking alone in the woods, sometimes it is nice to mix things up and hike with someone else.

We reached the shelter around 3:30 in the afternoon which is close to our normal stopping time. We had covered only 11.5 miles, partly due to our long lunch at Big Meadows. Upon inspection of the bear box at the shelter, we found that some hikers had left quite a bit of unopened food, including some marshmallows. We took that as a sign to build a fire and find some sticks. After dinner and toasted marshmallows, we walked a few feet further down from the shelter to a cabin owned by the Potomac AT Club and sat on the porch to watch the sun set behind the valley below. It was a marvelous sight to behold.

We awoke Monday morning and had breakfast together. In talking, Broadway and Early Bird both wanted to hike big miles which meant they’d be leaving us behind. We understood and bid them a fond farewell. I’m confident that we’ll bump into them again somewhere up the trail- that seems to happen frequently. Our plan for the day was to walk almost 14 miles and get a ride into Luray, VA for the night.

We had been told by a fellow hiker that there was a town trolley that leaves the road crossing for town at 2:20PM, so we hiked hard to make that goal. Our first two hours were great- as was the trail. We easily made a 3mph pace. It was difficult to maintain in the afternoon, and a few rest stops later we knew we were going to be late to the road. As it turns out, the trolley was for the town of Front Royal, not Luray, so it wound up being okay anyway.

Along our journey today we passed the Pinnacles picnic area. The trail came out just by the restrooms, so we took advantage of cleaner than usual facilities. I know that you probably didn’t sign on to read about such things, but believe me, it makes a difference to visit a properly cleaned restroom, even if it isn’t a flush toilet. While there, a family that was picnicking gave us some tangerines and walnuts. It was absolutely great to have fresh fruit. I wish we could carry Cuties with us, but it is too much of a headache. They’re heavy, they might “leak” in the pack, and the peels have to be packed out. Same with apples on the heavy and hauling out the cores. Anything that didn’t come from the woods must be carried out, according to Leave No Trace principles.

On our way out of the park we, passed a sign marking the AT and encouraging us to “Enjoy a short hike along a portion of the famous trail…” I giggled a bit when I saw that. I don’t think we qualify for a short hike. Leaving the picnic area, we passed a wonderful view at the Jewell Hollow overlook. The trail actually passes below the overlook, and our view of the valley floor below was unobstructed by trees and other foliage. On the down side, looking up I noticed storm clouds, and on our way back into the woods, we passed by a baby copperhead.

In only about 2 miles, we would pass by the Byrds Nest #3 shelter on our way to the road crossing where we hoped to call a shuttle. Upon arrival at the shelter, we met some dads and sons who were section hiking southbound. They had stopped at the shelter for the evening. One of the dads had a weather app open on his phone and our area was covered by a huge red blotch. Gavin and I discussed whether to stay or make it to the road, and we decided to push on with the hope of being indoors for the night.

No more than 100 feet from the shelter the bottom dropped out of the sky. We got rained on like there was no tomorrow. Ahead of us, we still had a few small climbs to reach the Mary’s Rock overlook. We were both a bit nervous about the lightening and thunder, but we hiked hard and fast to get up and over the peaks so we could begin our descent off the ridge. It rained so much that the trail quickly became ankle deep in water. At first, Gavin and I both tried to step off to the sides of the puddles/streams, but it quickly became evident that our shoes were already as soaked as they were going to be, so we decided to just plow along right down the middle. Thankfully, just after cresting the peak, the rain slowed and then stopped, which allowed us to complete most of the remaining distance without getting wetter.

Just a short distance from the parking area where we hoped to call a shuttle, the rain began again. Sadly, I had felt almost “dry” beforehand, but it probably wasn’t so. I cannot tell you how grateful we were to find that there was a bathroom area at the parking lot that allowed us to get inside and put on dry clothing. As odd as it sounds, my “dry” clothing was my rain pants and jacket. To be truthful, neither of these is useful for rain protection while hiking because neither article of clothing breathes enough to prevent you from becoming sweat-soaked from the inside. For that reason, when the temperatures are warm, we usually just continue hiking without rain gear. When I came out of the restroom with my “dry” clothing on, I met two new hikers, a couple from Florida. She was Lost Dog and he went by the name Dog Catcher. They, too, were looking for a shuttle and an inexpensive place to stay. I had to go back out in the rain to successfully make a call, but I was able to reach Alison from Open Arms Hostel and she agreed to pick us up and ferry us to town for $5 each. What a bargain.

I told her that Gavin and I would prefer to stay in a hotel with a private room/bath, rather than bunking in a hostel. I think she understood, and she recommended the Cardinal Inn. It was an older motel, but it was better maintained than some, and we enjoyed our stay. It was a short walk to a grocery store, laundromat, and several restaurants.

Though we had planned only a one-night stay, the rain changed all that. Our shoes and hiking clothes were soaked, and I knew there was no way they were going to dry in the hotel room. For that reason, I made the executive decision to take a zero day on Tuesday. Around lunchtime, we loaded all our dirty clothes in a bag and set out for the laundromat. After getting the wash started, I walked to the Hardee’s next door and got us some burgers for lunch. As our clothes finished and we were leaving, we met some hikers from Asheville. Tugs and Tank Top are a newlywed couple who started the trail in March. They took a few weeks off in Gatlinburg for the wedding and honeymoon, and now they’re back out with their dog Raisin. It was interesting talking to them, but we quickly moved on, heading for the downtown area.

Our reason for walking away from the hotel was visiting the outfitter’s shop about 0.5 mile further down the street. We came and saw, but we didn’t see anything we really needed. Gavin searched the hiker box and also came up empty. It wasn’t a wasted trip, however. The downtown area in Luray was really interesting with many older houses and businesses. Perhaps the most intriguing sight was passing a movie theater that had flowers and other mementos outside in memory of the proprietor who passed away in April. There was even a handwritten sign that said, “A dear friend. We will miss you,” and a caricature of the late owner. Other sights included Uncle Buck’s restaurant and the Shenandoah Inn, which was housed in a Victorian house. It was quite beautiful. The final landmark we visited was the Green Hill Cemetery. It was obviously quite old, and inside they have a kiosk that lists the names and plot numbers of all those who are interred here. There was also a post card with a photo of the cemetery that had fallen into the kiosk behind the glass that said, “Please Join Us.” Gavin remarked about that, and I noticed that there was a similar invitation to “Join us for second Sunday strolls through the cemetery.” I’m pretty sure that the bottom lines of the postcard invitation were not visible behind the tracks that held the sliding glass.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a grocery store to resupply, though I’m not sure why. Our food bags were already quite stuffed, and with the waysides that we pass every day or so in the SNP, there really was no need to add much of anything, but we did because when you are in town, you’re supposed to buy food. I really need to put some effort into figuring out the whole food thing.

Nearly back at the motel, we met up with Jar Head, whom we had met in Waynesboro, and Riddler. They had planned to hike out that afternoon, but an hour or so later I saw them checking into the rooms beside ours. Riddler is from Gainesville, FL, and I wound up walking with him to the Mexican restaurant for dinner. He was quite an interesting guy to talk with. When we got back to the hotel, he entertained us with some of the riddles that are the source of his trail name. I was able to contact Alison, who agreed to pick the four of us up the next morning and deposit us back on the trail.

Thanks for checking in on this installment of our adventure. I am hopeful that in the coming weeks I can publish more often. When I get to camp or town, I am still fighting the battle of wanting to get chores done and go to bed vs. writing a bit in my blog. I am also hopeful that I’ll be able to reply to your comments in the next day or two. Again, we appreciate your support and remind you to just keep taking the Next Step.

On Monday, June 3, we awoke early so that we could get breakfast before catching a shuttle up to Punchbowl Overlook, this time to head northbound. The shuttle was an experience in and of itself. It turns out that the shuttle vehicle was sitting at the shelter all morning while we were waiting on the driver. Additionally, there were nine people needing a ride that morning. With the driver, there were ten passengers in an 8-person vehicle. Not to mention packs. Bullfrog and another guy set about trying to lash packs to the top of the van and we crammed what we could into the back. After 30-45 minutes, we had the vehicle “loaded” and we set out to the trailhead.

We had planned a pretty long day, but the trip wasn’t to be too bad except for the last bit. The planned end of our day included a 3,000’ climb over six miles. For whatever reason, when we reached the Long Mountain Wayside at US 60, we were just exhausted and we’d just begun our climb. We were batting around the idea of hiking just a bit into the woods and stealth camping for the night, but we were all low on water and energy. Then, we looked up and the shuttle driver from Stanimals Hostel had pulled up to drop of some packs to a couple who had slackpacked that day. The trail provides! We asked him how much it would cost to shuttle us to the campsite we’d originally been aiming for and it was reasonable, so we loaded up once again.

The ride to Hog Camp Gap was entertaining. The directions included, “leave the paved road…” The driver put the vehicle into four-wheel-drive for whatever reason to go across the dirt road. I don’t really think it was necessary. The road was plenty bumpy, and the suspension on the van was about shot, so it was a tough ride. It almost seemed like the driver sped up to hit some of the bumps. Thankfully, I didn’t hit my head on the ceiling of the vehicle, but some folks did.

We finally arrived at our campsite. It was a wide open field with plenty of camping nearby. We were also expecting Paul and Austin any time. Earlier in the day we had put in an order for hotdogs because So it Goes was craving them. We set up our campsite and waited with anticipation. They arrived around 9:30, their GPS having taken them the rougher, scenic route. We helped them unload and set about building a fire to roast hotdogs. We had a great evening visiting and catching up. We also planned out the next day. Originally, they were going to walk with us a bit north and then come back to the car and head home, but we had about six miles we needed to do. The new plan was for them to walk south with us to a view, and then Paul would go back to the truck and pick us up back at Long Mountain Wayside and bring us back to the campsite. From there, we planned to continue northward to the next shelter. It was an awesome plan that would see us descending the previously mentioned climb without packs.

We awoke Tuesday morning and set off, sans packs. The highlight of the day, and perhaps the whole trip, was reaching the peak of Cole Mountain. It was a grassy area which afforded gorgeous views in all directions. Then came the treat. Angel’s mom had sent us individual communion cups about the size of a coffee creamer that have the wafer on top and grape juice on the bottom. We had asked Paul if he’d mind to officiate a service of Holy Communion for us and he accepted.

I think I have mentioned before that in preparation for the trip, Gavin and I listed some goals. One of those was to seek God and be inspired by Him in nature. Partaking of Holy Communion on a bald was an experience that moved me to tears. I have always had great respect for Paul as a friend and pastor, and the words he shared with us that morning were particularly inspirational and moving to all of us. I’ll always be thankful that he was there to share that moment with us.

All went well until So it Goes got sick. Really sick. She was reacting to some meds she had been taking, and they left her with dry heaves on the trail. We make it a point of not leaving anyone behind on the trail, so every little bit, we’d wait on her and Butters to be sure she was still okay. Gratefully, she was able to make it back to the road crossing, but she was definitely done for the day. The new plan was for Paul to drive us back to Hog Camp and then return to take So I Goes and Butters into town, and possibly to an urgent care. When we returned to the campsite, we decided it would be best for us to just camp for the night, and then continue northbound in the morning.

On Wednesday, our target was The Priest shelter, 14.3 miles north. The terrain was generally benign, with only small ups and downs as we followed the ridge line. We didn’t make it quite to the top of The Priest, but instead, pulled off at the nearby shelter.

The only hiccup of the day was briefly “losing” Gavin. We had stopped at the Wesley-Woolworth shelter for lunch. Bullfrog and Angel left out in front, but Gavin wasn’t ready yet. He asked for five more minutes to get his gear together and finish eating. I told him that would be okay, and he suggested that I go on ahead and he’d catch up. We have done this before, so I wasn’t worried about Gavin. Unfortunately, I hadn’t planned on a rain storm. It never really poured, but it did rain for a while. Then hikers kept passing us and we asked about Hawkeye. Most had not seen him, but if he was on trail, they’d have passed him too. Then I began to be concerned. I was able to eek out a bit of service from my phone and I called him. He said he wasn’t sure what to do about the rain, so he pitched his tent and was going to wait out the storm. He was more than a couple of miles behind us, so going back to help him get his stuff together was not in the cards. Thankfully, he calmed himself, and with the help of a fellow hiker, Swanson, he got his gear packed and came on to the shelter.

The Priest Shelter is known for its shelter logs, where hikers “confess” to sins committed on the trail. There are plenty of confessions of not digging an appropriate cat hole and other violations of Leave No Trace principles, skipping parts of the trail, as well as owning up to inappropriate relationships along the trail. It was quite entertaining to read. My confession was simple and heartfelt: “Forgive me Father – I gave a guy permission to burn a plastic bottle in my campfire last night. Afterward, I burned the plastic wrapper from our hotdogs.” To be truthful, I really did feel guilty about this transgression, and I certainly won’t repeat this action. It was good to get it off my chest, and I slept pretty well that night.

Thursday was easily our most difficult hiking day in quite a while. To start, we had to finish climbing The Priest. The trip up wasn’t difficult, but it was followed by a steep, rocky, 3,000’ descent to the Tye River. Apparently dodging rocks drenched by rain and trying to remain erect wasn’t enough of a challenge, so we got to climb up another 3,000’ to the top of Three Ridges Mtn. We passed quite a few south bound hikers that afternoon and I mentioned being afraid of the rocks we’ll find in Pennsylvania. They said that those rocks would be quite a bit like the ones I was about to get into on the climb up Three Ridges. No sooner than I had hiked a hundred yards, the terrain changed completely to some of the most difficult rocky path that I’ve been on yet. By the time we reached the top of Three Ridges, we were exhausted. To top it all off, we were mostly out of water, and there was none to be had until we reached Maupin Field shelter, still 2.9 miles away.

Thankfully, Maupin Field Shelter was downhill, and the trail down was much smoother than the one up. Gavin and I arrived well ahead of Angel and Bullfrog, so we stretched out on the grass and rested. When they got there, Angel was severely dehydrated and was done hiking for the day. Our goal had been to reach the road crossing at Reed’s Gap and to shuttle into Devil’s Backbone Brewery for a good meal and a cold beer. They told us to go on ahead and that they’d come on in the next morning so Gavin and I set out to cover the last 1.7 miles of a 15.5 mile day.

We thought the brewery would send a shuttle to the trailhead, but after a phone call on the way in, we realized that wasn’t true- they have scheduled shuttles, and we were an hour too late. They said that hitching a ride was easy from the road crossing so we continued on with that in mind. When we arrived at Reed’s Gap, there was a tarp set up and it looked like we were coming in on the tail end of trail magic. It turns out that Moosejaw Mountaineering was setting up at the brewery for the weekend to offer food and deals to hikers. The guy there offered us a ride, but while we waited for his car to come back, a car from the brewery came by so we rode in with them. Once there, we went straight to the tent site, set up our tents, hosed off briefly in the shower, and we headed to supper. It was expensive, but excellent. We started with fried pickles. I had a ribeye and baked potato, Gavin ordered a cheeseburger with fries and a baked potato. A drink and two beers later, we had run up a $70 tab. Ouch!

The whole place was wonderful. They have an outdoor amphitheater for concerts, a few outdoor bars, a fire ring, gift shop, restaurant, and breakfast restaurant. It was very cozy and we felt quite at home. They have a campground with full hookups, and they even have a tent area so that AT hikers can tent for free. This is definitely a place I’d like to go back to.

We slept well, and perhaps a bit late. For the first time ever, I laid my hiking clothes on top of my tent to dry and air out. Unfortunately, the rain started about 30 minutes before I woke up, so the clothes got soaked. I pulled on my dry “town” clothes and we walked up to the brewery for the $5 hiker breakfast. It was a bargain. There was a pancake, potatoes, sausage and bacon, and fruit. Coffee was a bit more, and they didn’t have free refills, but it was still worth the price we paid. I got in touch with Angel and Bullfrog who said they’d be there mid morning. We had planned to walk on to the next road crossing, but Angel still wasn’t feeling 100%, so we decided to just hang out at the brewery until Bullfrog’s sister got to town.

All day long, Moosejaw was doing promotional giveaways. I tried my luck at the tortilla flip, which involved a plate tied to my head and swimming flippers, but sadly, I was defeated. I was off by a few in guessing how many Cliff Bars were in the bear canister, so I missed out on winning a new sleeping pad. Then came my game: heaviest tent contest. My Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 2P tips the scales at a bit over three pounds, but since it rained the night before, it was over five pounds. I knew I’d be a shoe-in for this one. It turns out that I won by over half a pound. For my efforts, I was awarded a new Nemo Hornet UL 2P tent, about a $370 value. It is also over a pound lighter than my current tent. I’m looking forward to trying it out.

With the contests over, the four of us (Angel and Bullfrog had arrived) decided to get lunch. We had ordered and were waiting when Gavin went outside to make a phone call. He ran back in and said, “They’re making a movie and need hikers. They’ll buy our lunch.” I went out with him to see what was up, and he was right. Unfortunately, they weren’t going to pay for the lunch we just ordered. Instead, they wanted us to sit at a table, acting bored, when the “trail magic wizard” walked up, tapped his staff, and food and drinks appeared in front of all of us. We were in, and I had two lunches on Friday. In addition, they gave each of us a free beer token, but since Gavin isn’t 21, I got his too. It was a great day at Devil’s Backbone Brewery!

Bullfrog’s sister Becca came after us around 5:30 and we all went into Waynesoro for the weekend. He had booked rooms at the Super 8, which wasn’t a stellar place, but it wasn’t horrible either. On the plus side, it was just down the street from Golden Corral, so we went there for supper and got more than our money’s worth.

On Saturday, we had chores to do. It was great to have Becca there to ferry us around so we didn’t have to walk everywhere, which is often the case when we’re in town. We first went to the outfitter’s store in search of a footprint for my new tent. No luck, but Bullfrog found a few things he needed. We also headed to Walmart to resupply our food. You would think that after more than 800 miles, I’d have food figured out, but I don’t. I always wind up buying way too much stuff.

We had been in contact with Butters and So it Goes and arranged to meet them at Ming’s Chinese Buffet. It is one of the “must stop” places on the AT, but unfortunately, I was under impressed. It wasn’t bad, but I think I just wasn’t feeling Chinese food. They were staying at a hotel near ours, so Gavin and I arranged to go over and play D & D for a little while that evening. It is the first time he has ever played with someone experienced, and we both had a great time. Around 8:30, it was back to the Super 8 for a night of rest.

We had planned to have Becca drop us off at Reed’s Gap today to continue our hike, but the weather won out. It was a fairly miserable day, so we decided to stay one more night with the hope that Butters and So it Goes would head out with us. We moved to the Holiday Inn Express, where they were staying so we could plan together and take advantage of the stronger WiFi.

One of the greatest frustrations I’ve had is not being able to upload videos when I’ve been in town. It seems that no matter where we are, I just can’t get a signal strong enough to upload a video file in less than 8-12 hours. Thankfully, the signal was good at Holiday Inn, and I was able to upload one or two. We were also able to play D & D a second night, and a good time was had by all. Butters and So it Goes had decided to skip a bit of the trail and start ahead of us. Bullfrog called Yellow Truck, a guy that shuttles locally, and arranged for an 8:30 shuttle for Monday morning.

With a breakfast of coffee, cereal, and yogurt in us, we headed back to the trail at Reed’s Gap on Monday morning via the Yellow Truck. The shuttle driver was awesome. He told us, “Don’t tell me your trail name or when you started, because I won’t remember it, but tell me where you’re from and what you do.” We went around the truck sharing info, and I was surprised that he knew where Taylorsville, NC is. He was pretty familiar with western NC as a whole. He really reminded me of what my late brother-in-law would be like if he had lived to be seventy. We had a great ride, and bid each other farewell at the trailhead.

With a few exceptions, our trip for the day was fairly uneventful. The ups and downs were minimal, and we covered the 14.1 miles without much difficulty. The highlight of the day for Gavin and me was seeing our first bear. The four of us were walking down the trail and saw a couple of southbound hikers ahead that had stopped. They yelled up at us and pointed, “There’s a bear over there.” We looked right, and sure enough, there it was. He (or she, we didn’t get close enough to tell) was just chilling in the woods and eating plants and seemed completely unconcerned about us even though we were clacking our poles together and yelling to get him to move along. Eventually our two groups decided to walk toward each other, thinking that a much larger group would cause the bear to move along. It worked, sort of. It turns out that the bear did wander away from us, but before long, we came to a switchback in the trail that crossed in front of the bear again. Even closer this time. Again, he seemed unconcerned, and we walked on by. Great! Another switchback. Closer still, but thankfully, he was more concerned with food than us, and we finally left the bear behind us for good.

The other thing that made the day’s hike interesting was the presence of lots of water on the trail. The rains over the weekend had swollen creeks and the increased runoff from higher elevations had kick-started some of the itinerant creeks that poured over the trail. We came across several sections where the trail itself was a creek of varying depths because of all the rainfall. One crossing in particular, was challenging enough that Bullfrog threw a few extra rocks in the rushing water to serve as stepping stones. Mostly, we traversed the creeks fairly safely, but there were a few wet shoes by the end of the day.

When we arrived at the Paul C. Wolfe shelter, we were met with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. The trail crosses Mill Creek just in sight of the shelter. Unfortunately, Mill Creek looked like Mill River because of all the rain, and all the rocks that were placed for stepping across were under several inches of water. We set our packs down and walked up and down stream contemplating the crossing. Of course, Gavin was already in the shelter out of earshot, so we couldn’t summon his advice on how to get across. I thought I found a way, but about halfway across, I realized that I couldn’t step out 6’ at the time, so I retreated back to the bank. Eventually, we shucked off our shoes and socks, put on our camp shoes (Crocs) and waded across.

We noticed a few people tenting, but were grateful that there were enough spots left in the shelter for us to not have to bother with setting up a tent. I filled my water bottles and went about the process of making supper. Afterward, I had a new challenge: along this part of the trail, bear poles are provided at shelters as a means of hanging food bags. Essentially, a bear pole is a 10’ metal pole with four appendages with hooks at the top. There is a second pole one uses to lift the food bag up and secure onto one of the hooks. This is great in theory, but in practice, it is no easy feat to hook the food bags onto the hooks because the bag itself obscures the view of what you’re trying to hit. Eventually our food was hung and we settled in for the night.

Tuesday’s hike to Calf Mtn. Shelter, a distance of 12.7 miles, was not too bad, except for not having water for the last seven miles of the day. Early in the day we passed a small cemetery with a few graves, mostly marked with rocks. We also passed the remnants of a small cabin. The part of the foundation and chimney are all that remain. After that, the next highlight was getting to the visitor’s center at Rockfish Gap. It was about 0.25 miles uphill, and we were hoping for more than we got, but it was worth the trip anyway. Inside, they had fresh water so we filled up for our seven mile trip onward. They also had a 3-D map of the region which showed the AT through the Shenandoah National Park and onward to Harpers Ferry. It looks like we have a pretty easy hike along the ridge line for the next 150 miles or so, as long as there are no rocky sections.

Early in the day I emailed Evan of Evan’s Backpacking Videos on YouTube to find out how he was able to upload from the trail. His biggest piece of advice was to drop from 1080p to 720p, and the resulting file size would be significantly smaller. As luck would have it, I had a few videos ready, so I tried it while we were having a hotdog below the visitor’s center. It worked. With two bars of LTE, a 720p video will upload in a reasonable amount of time. In fact, by the time we finished lunch, I had two new videos online. Score! Thanks Evan!!!

While we were at the visitor’s center, about a dozen nuns in black and white habits came in. I enjoyed talking with them and answering their questions about the trail. Outside, Bullfrog was doing the same with a few folks from Texas who worked for US Border Patrol. The exchange for them was two-way, because Bullfrog had several questions about their work as well.

After about an hour, it was time to get back on trail. Not far along, we came to a self-registration station to get permits for the SNP. Permit in hand, we were off for a parched afternoon hike through the woods. There were a couple of highlights on the trip. First, we crested Bears Den Mtn. which is home to a large set of communications towers. They also have an area out front where they’ve cemented metal tractor seats into the ground to make a seating area. Unfortunately, the grass was tall, and the underbrush had grown to cover the view, so I didn’t bother to sit down.

Shortly after, I passed through Beagle Gap. After going up a small hill through a grassy area, I reentered the woods. Only a hundred yards or so in, I met with a deer who was standing right beside the trail having a meal of the greenery nearby. I was able to get my phone out and video her for several minutes. I was about 15’ away and she didn’t seem afraid of me in the least. Though I’ve seen plenty of videos of folks quite close to wildlife, I still marvel at the lack of fear shown to hikers by these animals. It is almost as if they know that we are not a threat to them, so they pay us very little mind.

Hiking on alone, I arrived at Calf Mountain Shelter. I was concerned when I saw that the shelter was 0.3 miles off the trail over rocky terrain. I was more concerned when I saw some folks from earlier at the water source, and they said there was not much room at the shelter and that they were hiking on. Knowing that there were three more folks behind me, I was worried, because I knew that there were no marked tent sites anywhere nearby. I walked on to the shelter, and it was nearly full – save for two spaces on the top bunk. The guide indicated space for 2-3 tents, and there were already 5-8 set up nearby, so I doubted that I’d be able to pitch a tent, and neither would Bullfrog and Angel. After I stood around talking for a little while, someone hit upon a marvelous idea. This shelter had a wooden floor with an overhang to cover the picnic table. It was suggested that we move the picnic table out from under, and that folks could sleep there. This was the idea that saved me from my first night of cowboy camping (sleeping under the stars). Gavin got one of the open bunk areas at the top, and Bullfrog, Angel, and I slept on the shelter floor.

When Wednesday morning arrived, we filled up our water bottles and bladders and set out for the day. We were heading to Blackrock Hut, and there was almost no reliable water on the way. We also had to contend with a trail relocation that added a bit to our hike. Apparently there was work transpiring on a power line right of way where the trail crossed, so they relocated us down a roadway for a ways. Along the way, Gavin turned his ankle, but neither of us thought much about it because this has happened before and he has always just walked it off. He sat down on a log for a bit and told me to hike on, which I did. I caught Angel and Bullfrog a couple of miles down the trail and we hiked together for a ways. Our trail was good and flat, and we were making pretty good time. We were all surprised when we reached Turk Gap on Skyline Drive and found that we had only gone 4.4 miles. We thought we were at least 5.5 or 6 miles into the day. Though the relocation added a bit, we were still disappointed with our progress and speed so far for the day. We stopped at Turk Gap and had lunch, and a trail angel had left water there which was most appreciated. I was down to a bit over one liter and the next water source was going to be at the shelter many miles up the trail. With lunch eaten, we packed and walked on. We were surprised that Gavin hadn’t caught us, but not worried, because sometimes he takes his time and then just appears out of nowhere.

About a mile up the trail, we met our third deer on trail that day. This one was a buck, though his antlers were still a work in progress. He was a bit more timid than the does we passed earlier. He didn’t have much patience for waiting around to be filmed, though I did get some footage of him walking away down the trail. A little farther up, I started trying to call and text Gavin to find out where he was. It turns out, he was almost two miles behind us, about half a mile south of Turk Gap. He had rolled his ankle twice more and was hurting. After discussing options, we decided it was best for us all to hike back to Turk Gap to meet him and assess the damage.

When I got there, he was obviously in pain. I helped him get laid down by a rock so he could elevate his ankle and I had a look. There was some bruising and definitely some pain. I gave him some ibuprofen and when the others came, we decided to call a shuttle back to town. The Yellow Truck guy was available and was on site in just over an hour. He took us to the Urgent Care in Waynesboro and told us to call when we were ready to go to a hotel.

It took quite a while to check in at Urgent Care because their computer system was glitchy, but eventually we got registered and were called back. They took Gavin straight to X-ray, and after about thirty minutes, the doctor came in. He showed us the x-ray of Gavin’s leg and indicated that there was the possibility of a hairline fracture at the base of his right fibula. His recommendation was to go home and see an orthopedist for a second opinion.

Obviously, we were both afraid that he had suffered a hike-ending injury. The Yellow Truck came back and dropped us at the Holiday Inn Express where we had stayed previously. As he drove off, I went in to register, only to learn that they had no rooms. As luck would have it, there was a Comfort Inn across the street which did, so we all went across and got settled for the evening.

I am thankful that if we had to deal with an injury, that it was after school was out for the summer. Beth had planned to be in Asheville Thursday for a workshop, but she cancelled and was able to come get us that afternoon. It was great to see her, even though the circumstances surrounding her visit were less than optimal. On the way home, I called our doctor’s office and they would be able to see Gavin on Friday afternoon.

The trip home was scenic, and it was interesting to see some of the places where we had crossed under I-77 and I-81 on our trip. I have to say that it was nice to be home for a few days, and especially nice to sleep in my own bed with my own full-sized pillows.

Friday afternoon was crazy. We saw Gavin’s physician at 2:00 and after looking at the X-rays, he said he could see why they diagnosed a possible fracture. His recommendation to us was to visit one of two orthopedic urgent care centers in Hickory for a more thorough diagnosis. The first place we went didn’t operate as an urgent care facility on Fridays, so we went on to Mountain View. The PA there looked at the X-rays backward and forward and said that even though he could see what concerned the other two doctors, he didn’t think Gavin’s leg had a fracture at all. He diagnosed it as a mild sprain and said Gavin could hike on, wearing a brace at first.

On the way home, we looked at calendars to decide when we could return to the trail. Beth had an appointment Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon, but she could drive us back to Waynesboro Monday afternoon and be back in time for her Tuesday obligation. That is what we wound up doing.

As I sit here now, it is Tuesday and Gavin and I are still in a hotel room (our fourth hotel in Waynesboro). We should have hiked out today, but the Yellow Truck guy had another shuttle this morning, and the weather forecast was for significant rain. I’m kicking myself now, because so far, the rain hasn’t come, though I expect it to move in any time and make tomorrow’s hike miserable. As it stands now, the Yellow Truck will be here to pick us up around 9:30 Wednesday morning and we’ll start playing catch-up with Angel and Bullfrog.

Thanks for clicking in for this update of our adventure. I must say in closing that after spending a long weekend at home, it was very difficult for both Gavin and me to leave to come back to the trail. We covet your prayers now more than ever as we get back on trail. We are closing in on the halfway point of the trail, and there are many days that both of us tire of walking. That isn’t to say that we’re not enjoying ourselves. We are still seeing wonderful views and meeting great people. It is just that we miss our daily routines at home sometimes, and being home this weekend reminded us of all we have left behind to make this journey. Our goal is still to make it to Katahdin in Maine, but we can always use encouragement. Thanks for your comments and remember to just keep taking the Next Step.

On Sunday, 5/26, we were in Daleville, VA enjoying a weekend off with Beth, Griffin, Sallie, Sarah Grace, Gabe, and Summer. Having relaxed all day Saturday trying to recover from our 26.2 mile day in town, there were chores to be done on Sunday. First and foremost, we had to find a laundromat to wash our stinky clothing. It is truly stunning to behold the smell of clothes that have been sweated in for a week. Unfortunately, our gear is not much better, and there is no good way to get funk out of a backpack. We also had to resupply our food. Those chores completed, we pretty much relaxed the rest of the day. For supper, we went back to Cracker Barrel since it was so close. We ate our fill and set into sleep for the night.

Monday was a great day. To say that Beth and Sallie have been bitten by the AT bug would be an understatement. They both wanted to spend some of the day doing trail magic, so around noon we loaded up the car and headed to the McAfee Knob parking area where the trail crosses through. They had all the usual hiker wants covered: Gatorade, Snickers, beer, water, and chips. It was really meaningful to be on the giving end of the trail magic, and we met a few hikers that we reconnected with later in the week up the trail.

After trail magic was dolled out, Sallie took Gavin and I back into town for one more night. It was a bit closer for her to make the trip than Beth. Instead of going back to the Quality Inn, though, we chose the Super 8 because it was closer to the trailhead and a nicer place to stay than the HoJo. Bullfrog and Angel came into town about an hour after we got there and it was great to reconnect with them. I find it incredible how close we have grown on the trail in only a few weeks, but we really missed having them along in the past week.

In the late afternoon, Bullfrog, Angel, and I walked about a half mile down to the Kroger to get a few food items and we were hoping to pick up a few things from the outfitter next door but they were closed for the holiday. On the way back, we decided to just order in pizza for supper and we had an early bedtime.

We slept in a bit Tuesday, but it worked out well. We were able to breakfast in the hotel lobby and from there we hiked back down to the outfitter to pick up a few needed items. By 11:00, we were back in the saddle again. We hiked a short distance to the trailhead, said our usual morning prayer, and we were off. Our goal for the day was Wilson Creek Shelter, about 11.2 miles north. It was not a very difficult hike, even though Gavin and I had been of trail for three full days. Along the way, we crossed under I-81 again, but the highlight of the trek was passing the ⅓ of the way mark. On the trail was spelled out “33.3%” in sticks and rocks, and for the math nerds, there was a bar over the final 3.

Early in the trip we crossed over a grassy pasture area and Angel had the chance to put her “mom” skills to use. Gavin sometimes has a difficult time getting back on trail, especially after seeing the family. The sour mood hit him a few miles in, and even though I tried too be encouraging to him, it just wasn’t working. Thankfully, Angel can often get him to breathe and relax, even when I can’t. So it was today. We are so thankful to have her and Bullfrog on the trail with us. We compliment each other well.

On Wednesday, we had our first crossing with the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Taylor’s Mountain Overlook. Bullfrog and Angel were already there and we waited a couple of minutes for Gavin to catch us. They all left and while I was resting, I observed a deer in the underbrush just off the overlook. I got some video that’ll be on the YouTube channel later on.

We had one of our biggest mileage days on Wednesday with a 17-mile trek. It was a mostly flat walk along a ridgeline and the primary excitement of the trip was dodging a thunderstorm just before Cove Mountain Shelter. We hustled into the shelter to allow the storm to pass, and it quickly did. From there, we headed on down to Jennings Creek to get a shuttle to Middle Creek Campground.

It was great to be in “civilization” again. The campground had a grill and the ladies that work there are incredible cooks. I had two of the best cheeseburgers I’ve had on trail, along with a couple of tall, cold beverages. We quickly retired to the bunkhouse. After a much needed shower, we settled in for a good night of sleep.

Our trip Thursday was 14 miles to the Thunder Hill Shelter. There was quite a bit of climbing involved, but thankfully the grade of the trail was reasonably gentle. Along the way, we stopped at the Bryant Ridge Shelter, which was one of the largest and newest shelters on the trail. It was built in 1992, and will sleep 20 people. It has three levels, a privy, and a nice stream running about 15 feet to the side. If it were further along the trail, I would have love to have camped there, but alas, we had more miles to do, so we had to settle with a long lunch break.

We also passed the Cornelius Creek Shelter. It was 0.1 mile off the trail, but we decided to stop and have an early supper before traveling on. While there, we met quite a few new hikers. One was Chilly Bin from New Zealand. She was great to talk to. We also met our first family on the trail, a group from New Hampshire. Mom and Dad are hiking with their three kids, aged 8, 11, and 13. I would really like to have had Gavin spend some time talking with them, but they were staying and we weren’t, even though we wanted to.

In the final part of the day, we had two different sights to see. First was the FAA radar tower at the top of Apple Orchard Mountain. It was a behemoth of a thing, a giant ball that tracks commercial flights. We also passed under the Guillotine, a rock formation that features two slabs of rock with a smaller boulder tapped between as if ready to fall. It was fun waiting on the rest of my party there and taking pictures of folks as they passed under. The only downside to waiting was being nearly eaten alive by bugs. To add excitement to the hike, there were a couple of places approaching the Guillotine that required scaling some fairly steep rocks.

Our final day of hiking this week was also a long one, at 14.8 miles, but we had a reward at the end. And at the beginning. One of the first things we passed was at incredible overlook. The view was among the best that I’ve seen. We ended our hike by crossing the James River via the James River Foot Bridge. It is the longest pedestrian only bridge on the AT and it is named for Bill Foot. Thus it is the Foot Bridge rather than a footbridge.

Once off the bridge, we waited at the parking area for Bullfrog’s dad to come pick us up. While there, we chatted with Polar Bear and just before we left, the family of five we met the day before caught up with us. We were able to talk just briefly enough to learn that they have a YouTube channel, A Mile in their Shoes. The father is a ski resort chaplain and they are trying to bring awareness to people, parenting, and poverty. I am excited to have some time to check out their videos.

Bullfrog’s dad Ken picked us up a bit before 5:00 and we headed to our hotel in Lexington, VA. It was nice to stay in a hotel and have access to a car. Even though WalMart was only 0.5-0.7 miles up, it was great to have a ride. For supper, we went to a Mexican restaurant that was outstanding. Gavin learned that he likes enchiladas, so now he has something new to order when we go out. While we were at the restaurant, we were surprised to meet up with three section hikers whom we had passed in the previous two days. In talking with them at a road crossing we learned that each year they get together and hike 100 miles of the trail. It was good talking with them and I shared our blog and YouTube addresses.

Saturday morning we loaded up the car and went to an outfitter in Lexington. I was looking for a couple for small items and some relief with my new shoes. I wound up getting some SuperFeet insoles, and I think they’ll help absorb some shock. While at the outfitters, we met Butters and So it Goes, two hikers we haven’t seen since Chatfield shelter about a month ago, though at the time I didn’t remember meeting them.

In the afternoon we ran into Butters and So it Goes again at the hotel where we were all staying. We made arrangements to all go to supper at Ruby Tuesday, and it was great to talk with them. They’re from LA. Butters hiked the Pacific Crest Trail two years ago, and they both did some of the AT last year. It turns out that they‘re doing about the same mileage as us, so we’ll likely hike with them for a while. This was especially exciting for Gavin because they both are Dungeons and Dragons players. He is hoping to start a campaign on up the trail somewhere.

On Sunday, the six of us arranged a shuttle back to Stanimals hostel in Glasgow. Actually, they dropped us at a trailhead about 10.5 miles from the hostel and took our packs so that we could slackpack that section of the trail. It was awesome, because we were able to hike down a 2,500’ hill instead of hiking up it. Early on in our slackpack day, we met Polar Bear. He had a hard time finding his way out of Punchbowl Shelter and wound up walking a mile or two the wrong way on the trail. He was fit to be tied, and vowed that he was going to hike back to the road and go home. We haven’t seen him since, so suppose he made it.

The remarkable trail feature of the day was passing a marker that was placed in the memory of Ottie Cline Powell, a not quite 5-year-old boy who wandered seven miles away from his school in search of firewood in 1891. He was obviously lost, and he succumbed to the elements near the peak of Bluff Mountain. It was difficult to think of what might have been going through his mind as he wandered through the cold, icy wilderness, hoping to find his way home.

It turned out that this was an excellent section to hike southbound. Had we been going north, we’d have started our day with a 2,500’ climb up Big Rocky Row in less than five miles. Needless to say, it was great to be going downhill without packs instead of uphill with. We ended our day back at the James River Foot Bridge parking area and were picked up by a shuttle driver for a short trip back to the hostel.

Stanimals hostel was different than any that we’ve stayed in before. Essentially, it was a house that was set up for and turned over to hikers. The “manager” lived next door. Each of the two bedrooms on the main floor had 4-6 bunks, there were private rooms upstairs, and the living room had a massage chair for hikers’ use. There was a full kitchen and laundry which we didn’t need since we had washed clothes in Lexington over the weekend. For supper, we walked a few tenths of a mile up the road to a local restaurant and had pizza.

The other remarkable sight of the day was a giant fiberglass dinosaur across the street from the restaurant. It is a left-over from a dinosaur-themed park in the area. Apparently, there used to be several such statues in the town, but alas, no longer. It had been my hope to take a group photo of our trail family, but we left the restaurant hurriedly under the threat of rain.

We are really looking forward to tomorrow. Our friends Paul and Austin are supposed to be meeting us on trail Monday night. The plan is for them to hike out and meet us on the trail and then to hike back to their truck together for some trail magic. It is always great to see folks from home, and we also enjoy reading your comments on the blog. Thanks for checking in with us and please stay tuned for the next installment. Remember to just keep taking the Next Step.